NATION : Rep. Claude Pepper Dies at 88; He Crusaded for New Deal in ‘30s
Rep. Claude Pepper, who crusaded for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s and was still championing the rights of the elderly a half-century later, died today at 88. He was the oldest member of Congress.
Pepper had been hospitalized since April 6, suffering from an undisclosed stomach ailment. He died at Walter Reed Army Hospital. The Florida Democrat was elected to the Senate in 1936 and promptly made his mark as an architect of some of the nation’s most enduring “safety net” programs, including Social Security, the minimum wage and medical assistance to the elderly and handicapped children.
He remained in the Senate for 14 years, and after an interlude practicing law and teaching, began a House career that would include 14 terms.
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